Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 1151 to 1175 of 4963 results

1151. John 13:31-35

John 13:31-38

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... of impending glorification with compassion for the failures of humanity. Only here in John’s gospel does Jesus address his disciples as “little children” (“teknia”) — suggesting that their incomprehension is due to an immaturity of faith. Jesus tenderly reminds his remaining disciples of a truth he had already imparted to a wider audience of “Jews” (that is, the “chief priests and Pharisees” at the temple) that “Where I am going you cannot come” (7:33-34). The path to the cross and ...

1152. See Something, Say Something, Do Something, Be Something

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

1153. Fire from Heaven

Acts 2:1-13

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... the whole church burned down. Before we call down the Spirit from heaven, like Elijah, we had better understand what we are asking for. We are asking for all the extras, all the trappings, all the artificial ingredients to be burned away until that all that remains are the basics: the Holy Spirit, who brings Jesus to life in his body, the church. When the fire of God begins to lick at our lives, it is because we are being refined. And that refinement burns out the hypocrisy, the mediocrity, the apathy, the ...

1154. Won't You Be My Neighbor?

Luke 10:25-37

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... characters and themes of his program in the mid-1950’s. But it wasn’t until 1967 that “Mister Roger’s Neighborhood” took its final form and appeared on PBS stations across the country. This sweet, sappy, smart program stayed in production until 2001, and remained on all PBS stations until 2008. It is probably safe to say that there are very few of you listening today who couldn’t sing along with the song that opened every new show — “It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood…” [If you ...

1155. Love to Life

Luke 13:10-17

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... within the mind and body that have been “bent in half” by the disease of dementia. No other disease so shows our human strengths and weaknesses, our irrepressible spirit and our brokenness, as Alzheimer’s. Disease brings down the curtain on the brain. But the individual remains. Even as the brain loses its ability to process information, to use language, to express itself, individuality finds a way. The person with Alzheimer’s is locked up inside. But the personal still finds a way out. The spirit ...

1156. The Best Gift of All

Titus 2:1-15

Sermon

Timothy J. Smith

... 12:2). It is easy to fall into the trap of “worldly passions,” and forget that Jesus calls us to “live lives that are self-controlled, upright, and godly.” We do not follow the ways of the world as much as we live our lives for Jesus. We must remain focused on Jesus. We respond to God’s grace by responding to Jesus allowing him to enter and change our lives. Our goal is to be more and more like Jesus each and every day in all of our conversations and actions. With Jesus in our lives we cannot help ...

1157. The Church Is the Place

1 Corinthians 1:1-9

Sermon

Timothy J. Smith

... of Christ, the church. This will lead to the transformation of our community, nation, and ultimately our world. We need to remain focused on what we are as the church, keeping our vision and mission ever before us. Our strength and endurance for ministry ... with confidence.[2] Paul reminded the troubled Corinthians that even in the face of frustration, or failure, or faithlessness, God remains faithful. Paul states, “God is faithful; by him you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our ...

1158. Work Like the Who?

Luke 16:1-15

Sermon

King Duncan

... ’s exactly what this dishonest manager did. He says to himself, “What shall I do now? My master is taking away my job. I’m not strong enough to do manual labor, and I’m embarrassed to go on welfare. I know what I’ll do. I’ll use my remaining time and some of my boss’ resources to insure my future.” So he called in two of his boss’ customers who still owed his boss money. He asked the first one, “How much do you owe my boss?” “Nine hundred gallons of olive oil,” the man replied. The ...

1159. Hope from a Stump

Isaiah 11:1-16

Sermon

King Duncan

... DeLoach puts it this way: “I am not a connoisseur of great art, but from time to time a painting or picture will really speak a clear, strong message to me. Some time ago I saw a picture of an old burned-out mountain shack. All that remained was the chimney . . . the charred debris of what had been that family’s sole possession. In front of this destroyed home stood an old grandfather-looking man dressed only in his underclothes with a small boy clutching a pair of patched overalls. It was evident that ...

1160. God’s Story Time

Jeremiah 23:1-8

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... done. The “scattered flocks” Jeremiah spoke of were scattered for two reasons. They did not have “good shepherds” in fact they had “bad shepherds.” Bad leaders who either gave them failed or faulty guidance in their attempts to follow the law and remain in a true covenant relationship with God. Or bad leaders who simply did not care about following God at all. Instead of the “bad shepherds” who led God’s “sheep” astray, Jeremiah now promises they will be replaced once and for all by ...

1161. Nothing to Hide

Psalm 32:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

... this way: “A man who confesses his sins in the presence of a brother knows that he is no longer alone with himself; he experiences the presence of God in the reality of the other person. As long as I am by myself in the confession of my sins everything remains in the dark, but in the presence of a brother the sin has to be brought into the light.” The point of it all is to come out of hiding. Live transparently. Get rid of the baggage from the past that you have for so long carefully hidden away. Second ...

1162. Named, Claimed, and Framed

Acts 2:14-41

Sermon

Tony Everett

... optimistic hope. Life goes on. It was even more difficult to be a follower of Jesus in those first days after the resurrection. In our text for today and for the next two Sundays we will see how the Holy Spirit used Peter to help folks remain faithful as they returned to their daily routines and challenges. Today, our text describes what it means to be an after-Easter people. Next Sunday’s first lesson presents what God wants after-Easter people to do. Two weeks from today, Peter’s address concludes ...

1163. Soiled Faith and Watered-Down Churches

1 Corinthians 3:1-23

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... week had passed and all 500 chickens save five had died. They didn't die of the tornado. They died of starvation. They had become so habituated to the industrial feeding of daily pellets that came to them as they remained unmoving within the coop, that all 500 of them simply remained there on the cement plank, unwilling to waver from their routine, as they waited for food to come. They waited, and they waited, until they eventually starved to death. Only five out of 500 chickens had decided that maybe they ...

1164. The Voice-activated Life

2 Peter 1:12-21

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... as He had been teaching and preaching throughout Galilee, this was the first time any of the disciples had heard The Voice. For Peter, The Voice was a jump-start, a jolt to the spirit. He suddenly and completely realized that there was no element of doubt remaining in his faith. He had The Voice, the voice of the Divine, telling him in no uncertain terms, exactly with whom he was involved. “This is my Son, my beloved, with whom I am well pleased.” 2 Peter 1:17 After the experience on the mountain, The ...

1165. Peace Be With You

John 20:19-23

Sermon

King Duncan

... all this. John tells us they were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders. That’s interesting. We make a big deal about Easter Sunday morning, but Easter Sunday evening, the disciples were still cowering in fear. Obviously some questions still remained. So the tomb was empty, but what did that prove? Maybe somebody did steal his body. O.K., Mary had her mystical experience in the garden. But, after all she was a woman. You know how emotional they can be. Maybe she just imagined this ...

1166. A Prayer for Persecuted Christians Everywhere

John 17:6-19

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... : Sovereign God, we worship you and acknowledge that you know all of those who suffer in your name (1). We remember those who are imprisoned for their faith (2) and ask that they would join with the Apostle Paul to see that even though they remain captive, their chains have furthered the gospel, not frustrated it (3). May they inspire and embolden their fellow believers to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly (4). God of all comfort, for those who are tortured both in body and mind, give ...

1167. Great Balls of Fire!

John 20:19-23

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... described in Acts 2:1-12, where there is big time wind and fire and stuff that makes movie directors drool. The drama of the birth of the church is usually found in Luke’s description of how the Holy Spirit came to dwell within Jesus’ remaining disciples. But in the gospel of John the gift of the Holy Spirit is more tightly woven into the story of Jesus’ death and resurrection, his mission and witness. In John’s gospel the continuation of Jesus’s mission, of the calling of the post-resurrection ...

1168. The Nano-Punch of Pentecost

Matthew 28:16-20

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... of a crucified criminal, a loser messiah. There was no possible way they could ever do anything. Yet they did. They did everything. They turned the world upside down. They changed everything. When the risen Christ commissioned and charged his remaining eleven disciples with his Spirit and power, he created pentecostal nanobots seemingly small, unimpressive charges that ultimately changed the world. One of the truths of an ultra-small, “nano netherworld” is that what matters most is not matter. When you ...

1169. Daddy, I'm Afraid

Romans 8:1-17

Sermon

King Duncan

... ) He was serious! Maybe his friend was in just a little bit of denial about the joys of living in the Big Apple. Some of us handle our fears in different ways. Some people force themselves to face up to their fears. Others live in denial about their fears and remained crippled by them. The best thing you can do with fear, of course, is to turn it over to God. St. Paul writes, “For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you ...

1170. God Is Not Dead

Exodus 20:1-21

Sermon

James Merritt

... idol. Soon his father returned to discover that all of his idols had been smashed beyond recognition or repair. He said, “Abraham, what happened to all my idols?” Abraham simply pointed to the one remaining idol with the ax firm in its hands, and said, “It was that idol, father, that went about destroying all of the other idols.” His father said, “Abraham, you and I both know idols cannot see; idols cannot hear; idols cannot move. It is impossible that this idol is responsible ...

1171. Ignite: Fire and Water

Acts 10:23b-48

Sermon

James Merritt

... hearing them speaking in tongues and extolling God. Then Peter declared, ‘Can anyone withhold water for baptizing these people, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?’ And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to remain for some days.” (Acts 10:44-48, ESV) You see in that passage fire and water. Cornelius and his household had been set on fire by the Holy Spirit and immediately they got in to the water of baptism. That by the way, is the picture ...

1172. Traveling Tables

1 Corinthians 6:12-20

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... Divine All Loves Excelling.” The mystery meals you take part in at a dinner theater are fun because you go home knowing that you’ve solved the riddle, or found the murderer, or have otherwise brought closure to the story. The Mystery Supper of the Lamb remains a mystery. It’s a mystery that can’t be solved, but can only be entered into and embraced. And the deeper you enter into a genuine mystery, the more surprising it becomes. The true mystery at our table is that Christ is the ultimate mystery ...

1173. Get Out the Ticker Tape - Palm Sunday

Mark 11:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

... . They were in a celebratory mood here but when tough decisions were being made, such as choosing Jesus or Barabbas, the crowd would forget that just a few days prior they were hailing Jesus as their King. Not even those who seemed to be close to Christ remained faithful when the crowd turned against him. One of his disciples denied him and another betrayed him with a kiss. But then Jesus said the tares and the wheat grow together and at the harvest they will be separated. I hope that on the day when that ...

1174. Dust in the Wind

Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21

Sermon

Timothy Cargal

... is probably not too harsh a description — with the harsh reality of our mortality and our utter need for redemption. But is the message of Ash Wednesday really that “all we are is dust in the wind”? Must we pass through this doorway to Lent and all its remaining 40 days until Easter before we hear any suggestion of good news? Joel 2:1-2, 12-17 Nothing is known of Joel son of Pethuel other than that he was the author of at least the core oracles preserved in this prophetic work. That he locates the ...

1175. Building a New Team

Mark 8:31--9:1

Sermon

Wayne Brouwer

... The Book of the Dun Cow (as well as its wonderful sequel, The Book of Sorrows), captures both the scope of the divine mission as well as the underrated character of the team. It is well worth a read in preparation for today’s message. If the focus remains on the team apart from the mission, the point is lost. God is reclaiming God’s creation, but does so through human agency. The game is fierce and the playing field is rough. Only those who can tear up their personal score sheets in order to get into ...

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